6 thoughts heading into Yankees' series vs. Blue Jays in Toronto

On a rare off-day, a few points before the Yankees begin a three-game series against the Blue Jays Friday night in Toronto:

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FRIENDLY SKED

From now until Sept. 1 (based on win-loss marks heading into Thursday’s games), the Yankees play 43 of their next 51 games against teams with records of .500 or worse. There will be four games against Cleveland right before the All-Star break and four against Boston in early August. The Red Sox, over that same span, play four each against Philadelphia, the Yankees and Indians. So there should be a lot of winning and a lot of panic, with the two teams neck-and-neck in the AL East standings. Yes, the Bombers have at times played down to their competition, but they can’t afford to keep that going as they try to avoid the do-or-die wild card game.

Giancarlo Stanton looks to continue his home run streak in Toronto. (Tom Szczerbowski / Getty Images)

GRAY MATTER

As Brian Cashman said, the Yankees won’t be avoiding Sonny Gray’s next start, which is slated for Friday at Rogers Centre. On June 6, Gray had his best start of the year, going eight shutout innings while allowing just two hits and striking out eight. Gray is coming off a horrendous outing against the Red Sox, when he was booed frequently and gave up six runs in 2.1 innings. Gray’s ERA in eight home starts: 8.25. Gray’s ERA in eight road starts: 3.28. Gray’s struggles have put even more pressure on Cashman to find a starting rotation upgrade. Also, you wonder whether Gray’s personal catcher, Austin Romine, will be able to start this game. Romine hasn’t started since coming out with left hamstring tightness on June 30. He did get in briefly on Monday.

HAPP VS. SEVERINO

J.A. Happ (10-4, 4.03 ERA), who is lined up to start against Luis Severino on Saturday, is of interest to the Yankees. So this could be an audition of sorts. They have the goods to get him, but are waiting to see if anyone better becomes available. We’ve covered Happ’s track record of having success against AL East competition — especially Boston — which is a plus. And he’s left-handed, which is another plus. Happ, a No. 3-4 type at this point in his career, is 35 and in the final year of a three-year, $36 million deal. Severino, on the other hand, is making a strong case for starting the All-Star Game and winning the AL Cy Young award. Entering the Toronto series, he’s 13-2 with a 1.98 ERA.

SECOND THOUGHTS

Gleyber Torres being down for at least the next 10 days with a right hip strain is a blow to the Yankees, who have been able to overcome various injuries to different players all season. It’s also unfortunate that he probably won’t be an All-Star reserve option. The Yankees called up Tyler Wade from Triple-A Scranton on Thursday as a backup to Didi Gregorius in the infield. Wade has struggled mightily at the plate during his brief time in the majors, though he does provide a steady glove in the field. Neil Walker has a .527 OPS, while Brandon Drury, who just came back from injury, started 114 games at second last season for a Diamondbacks team that reached the playoffs. Drury is 1-for-9 since coming off the DL. Personally, I’d like to see Drury get a shot here, though Aaron Boone said Walker will get the majority of playing time at the position.

SMOOTH REHAB

Masahiro Tanaka went five innings (69 pitches) for Triple-A Scranton on Wednesday night, giving up two runs and striking out four. On regular rest, Tanaka would be lined up to start for Monday’s doubleheader against Baltimore (Jonathan Loaisiga is a likely candidate to start in the DH as well).

STANTON’S SURGE

In his last 16 games, Giancarlo Stanton is looking more like Giancarlo Stanton, with a .369 batting average along with five homers and 14 RBI. With Gary Sanchez and Torres out and Greg Bird still working his way back into form, Stanton’s increased offensive production has come at an opportune time. And it needs to continue.